Drillium Dude 

Looks comfy, doesn't she?



Dean Creek Elk Viewing Area:



I was able to get within 5 feet of this big guy - probably coulda petted him, but that rack was intimidating:



"Yeah? Well, you should see the other guy!"



"Are we there yet?"



Enjoying a quick 10 minute sun-break:



Bimmer at Bandon, OR:



Sea stacks at Bandon, OR:



The bikes were getting good and dirty by now:



Coastline at Port Orford, OR:



More coming...

DD

Giacomo 1 

Great stuff DD!

I love a good road trip story. Well, look at it this way, you've seen your last snow and rain for a year, so it's a good way to go out. I'll tell you, if I saw a Bimmer with 2 gorgeous Colnago's and a Davidson on top, I would have been hard pressed not to carjack that thing!

Hey, those bikes didn't get damaged in that hail storm, did they?

Drillium Dude 

Battle Rock, Port Orford, OR:



"RAWR! Not really - I'm made of concrete and chicken-wire!"



Sisters Rock, Ophir, OR:



Beach at Sisters Rock:



Close-up of Sisters Rock:



Gnarly wave-action at Otter Point:



More awesome waves at Otter Point:



Derelict tugboat on the Rogue River, Gold Beach, OR:



Hunter Cove, OR:



Cool shot of Hunter Cove looking north:



Still have a few more to come...

DD

Italuminium

Yes, that Dinan BMW is every bit as stylish as the bikes - you sure know how to pick them!

Drillium Dude 

Thanks, Jim! Funny you should ask about the hail - I had a fleeting thought about that as I drove through it, but pushed it aside to concentrate on the driving, otherwise I could've been sure of wrecking them more thoroughly

They made it through the entire trip fine - save a lot of road grime, but I'll be seeing to that this afternoon!

DD

Drillium Dude 

Pulled up for another photo-op at Arch Rock overlook:



Sea stacks at Arch Rock overlook - check out the trees growing out of the stack on the far right:



More stacks:



Running for cover - a sudden and very heavy downpour!



Arch Rock from the overlook:



Sacha playing hide-and-seek at the hotel in Crescent City, CA:



Rest stop/car-and-bike-check after braving the hailstorm just outside Crescent City:



False Klamath Cove with "Sneaker Wave" warning sign:



Another beautiful - and sunny! - view of False Klamath Cove:



Sacha inspects my three dirty bikes and finds them in need of some TLC:



BTW, I just recalled something: I stayed in a real dive of a hotel the last time I went through Roseburg, too. That time I'd just made it over the Siskiyou pass heading north before it was closed by the DOT - I'd made it all the way to that point from Phoenix in one sitting and I was at the end of my concentration level by the time I came into Roseburg. Same kind of smoky room, same crappy - but not as crappy as this last one - amenities...it was a quick any port in a storm kind of place, you know? Weird...

Hope you all enjoy the pics!

DD

Drillium Dude 

Yes, I will have Interwebz access on DG, so no problem there. I don't know the extent of access - whether or not I will have the opportunity to plug up my own computer, for example, but I should be able to do so from my work computer - just won't be able to attach my camera for downloads if I only get the use of the Government computer.

I think I'll be okay with my own, though, and will be able to post some pics

DD

Drillium Dude 

Thanks, Scott! The trip did have its moments, but in the end it all worked out well. I was seriously getting damned sick of the constant rain, however - it took me awhile to actually realize it had finally stopped which is why I'm unsure exactly where I was when the waterworks quit

Sacha will stay here at mom's when I move on to San Diego and ultimately DG. The weather here is nice - saw 68 this afternoon on the car's thermometer, but it felt warmer. Glad I brought shorts as well as my cold-weather knickers!

Welcome back home to you and yours - hope you had fun in the sun in Bonaire! And enjoy that little bob if it has reached your mailbox

DD

Drillium Dude 

Campy under the Christmas tree - yeah, that's good times alright! Sounds as if though you had a great adventure, too - great to hear it. The Jakarta traffic sounds like what I will go through when I hit Japan (Narita) as I make my way to DG. Narita to Yokota Air Base (where I'll catch a MAC flight to Singapore and ultimately DG) usually takes about 4 hours, too

And you know, I forgot we're already contacts on Flickr - doh! I checked out some of your pics today (the volcano ones are awesome) and I'll be poking around some more tonight

DD

Drillium Dude 

Thank you - great to be hear and the weather is absolutely perfect! I'm riding tomorrow as I just finished up with the bike clean-up about an hour ago.

I'm looking forward to meeting and riding with a bunch of AZ C&Vers in January, too - this is going to be a fun vacation

DD

Drillium Dude 

Thank you - I think it looks even cooler with three vintage bikes riding on top, which is why I took so many pics of it during this trip (plus it's been years since I loaded three up there)

It's getting a little long in the tooth, though. It's a 2001 and I've owned it for ten of those eleven years. I think I'll be replacing all the suspension bushings while here...

BTW, total trip distance was 1999.7 miles. I went over 134,000 miles as of yesterday morning, too.

DD

cbresciani

Sounds like you had quite the adventure. It'll be great riding with everyone!

WNG

Great road trip photos! And Sacha is a champ. I could never get my cats to cooperate for a drive. ;P

Relieved to read the bikes and the E46 survived the hailstorm.

Enjoy the warmth in PHX, funny after a few years down here I got used to the heat and it actually feels cold to me during the winter here.

Savagewolf

I should of asked to meet you somewhere on the way through Oregon. I would of loved to see your bikes up close and personal.

rootboy 

Wonderful travelog , DD. Love those Oregon coast pics. They bring back fond memories. As does the idea of driving cross country with a cat.
Sacha looks very relaxed and comfy. Our Cinder was also very mellow during our drive from Utah to MA. In fact, he was so relaxed we never needed to use the tranquilizers my wife got from the vet. Since Cinder didn't need them....I took them instead.

Drillium Dude 

Thanks, Will - she was a stellar passenger until the crying began during the final push. I guess that was to be expected, seeing as she'd been cooped up for 22 hours during that last stretch

I rode about 50 miles today and it was chilly to me, too; glad I brought mostly cold-weather riding gear!

DD

Drillium Dude 

That would've been cool - a nice way to get out of the rain for a bit, huh? Aw, well - I'll get some closeups of the bikes while I'm here in Phoenix and post them to the thread

DD

Drillium Dude 

Funny you note tranks for Cinder - I had considered the same thing, but decided against it. After I solved the problem of her sneaking along the driver's side of my seat, all I had to concern myself with was her using the litter box on the move (she adapted magnificently) and the possibility she would still try to get down into my footwell from the center console. She tried a couple of times, but I just gently pushed her aside and she got the message.

I really was worried about her, to be honest - but in the end, I'd drive across country again with her in a hot minute. She really surprised me and was a paragon of proper in-car conduct

DD

Drillium Dude 

Well, I've had a great vacation so far, but its almost over. I'll be flying out to San Diego on Sunday the 27th for my Security Manager refresher course, then leave for DG around the 12th of February.

So far, I've enjoyed meeting up with WNG, roadrunner2012, Irvri, Kvltbryce and cbresciani while in Phoenix, visited WNG's shop and spent an afternoon BSing with roadrunner2012 while he sorted out the ghost-shifting issue on my Davidson.

While in TX, I got out for a short ride with my niece and nephew, and have done a little riding on my own over here on the west side of Phoenix. My last big-bang will be going up South Mountain on Tuesday; after that, I'll park my car in mom's garage, disconnect the battery, lock the bikes to the rack and load up the trunk with some stuff that won't be making the trip to DG with me.

I had plans to hit Tucson this Friday - visiting/riding with Kvltbryce in the bargain - but another commitment has come up that's put paid to that. I guess that will have to wait for next year

Some pics from my vacation in TX and AZ:

Lime kiln at the Chinese Tea Garden in San Antonio:



On my ride with niece/nephew in Round Rock:



Atrium at Van Ness Architecture, my first employer during my drafting/design career:



Car freshly detailed after the wet and dirty 2000 mile trip down from WA:



C&V Southern Arizona ride:



Happy to be out on the bike:



L to R: Kvltbryce, Irvri, WNG, roadrunner2012, DD and cbresciani during the SA ride:



Post-ride lunch/photo-op at 32 Shea:



The Davidson after roadrunner2012 fixed my drivetrain for good:



Thanks to all the AZ C&Vers who took part in the ride, fixed things for me and generally provided super company during my stay. With the exception of family, visits to AZ are sorta-lonely pursuits these days as I have no friends from the old days still living around here - but I'm glad I got the opportunity to make some new ones, you know?

DD

Bianchigirll 

Sounds like a fun trip! Great pics. I hope you have a better time in Diego Garcia than I did, but we were only there for 36hrs or so and if you don't want to fish there isn't much happening. I can't remember about the Internet anymore but Wake had it when I was through there in 2010 so maybe the Brits have it by now.

Thanks again for your service and I hope you have nothing but fair winds and following seas or something nautical like that.

puchfinnland

I bet we could not get that many forum members in one shot on the east coast!
DG-
i used to live out of one bag when working on private yachts
a low volume free diving mask, a short speargun and fins were part of my kit,
and a bicycle of course!

forum members ...it may look like paradise but after a month the surrounding start to get old.
I spent a few winters in Antigua and snorkeling is a great past time.

DD - do they have any sailboats there for fun?

have a good one.
mike

cbresciani

It was great meeting you DD, good luck in DG and hopefully we can ride again sometime.

CB

mikemowbz

My grandfather did a course down in San Diego when he was in the Canadian Forces - must've been well over 40 years ago. His was a submarine medic's course, though he tells me he only spent about half an hour in one of those big American nuclear subs. Obviously a major hub for the Navy down there!

Great pics - ones like those you took of the Oregon coast remind me that I need to venture beyond Bellingham and give that Northwest coast a more thorough exploration. Great also to that you got a ride in with a good contingent of fellow C&Vers in AZ. And I must say, as much as those 'nago's are impressive, pics of the Davidson (and what I recall of your reviews) kindle a long-term aspiration, conditions permitting (like, say, some day when I can actually transport/store all the bikes I already have!), to give them a visit for a custom job. For now I'll just worry about those lonely (and incomplete) examples still in the storage unit (looks like they'll be out in a week or two), and getting enough road time in to justify keeping those around...

Wishing you a good voyage once you're done your course in S.D.!

4Rings6Stars

Not a problem on the New England coast...

JReade

Random: This is where I was born, 31 years ago last month.

Gold Beach, not the tugboat, FYI.